Card-game

ABSTRACT

The method of playing a card game and includes randomly associating cards from a first virtual deck of cards with a set of numbers of a card selecting section ( 12 ) so that each number is associated with a different card. A predetermined number of numbers is selected and cards are displayed face down in a first card display ( 40 ). A first player activates a confirm command ( 28 ) to display faces of a first poker hand ( 56 ). The first player submits a first bet to a first pot of a first game. The method also includes randomly associating cards from a second virtual deck of cards with a set of numbers of the card-selecting section ( 12 ). A predetermined number of numbers is selected by a second player from the card-selecting section ( 12 ) associated with a second virtual deck of cards. The cards are displayed and the second player activates the confirm command ( 28 ) to display faces of the second poker hand. The second player submits a second bet to the first pot of the first game. The first player wins a portion of the first pot of the first game when the first poker hand is better than the second poker hand. The second player wins a portion of the pot when the second poker hand is better than the first poker hand.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a card game, such as pool poker, that may be played on the Internet or any other network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Card games have been used for ages as a way to socialize and enjoy the company of friends. Some games involve money while others do not. Poker is a game that has attracted much interest over the years. The game of poker can currently be played with up to 5-6 players due to the fact that the deck of cards only has 52 cards. The Internet has become a new forum for playing poker. However, the number of cards that are available, although two decks of cards are used, limits the number of players that can participate in one game. The use of the Internet makes it possible for almost an unlimited number of players to participate in the same game. However, there is no satisfactory solution to the problems of the limited number of cards available to produce the poker hands.

There is a need for an effective card game that can be played on the Internet or any other network that enables an unlimited number of players to participate in the same game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The card game of the present invention provides a solution to the above-outlined problems. More particularly, the method of playing a card game and includes randomly associating cards from a first virtual deck of cards with a set of numbers of a card selecting section so that each number is associated with a different card. A predetermined number of numbers is selected and cards are displayed face down in a first card display. A first player activates a confirm command to display faces of a first poker hand. The first player submits a first bet to a first pot of a first game. The method also includes randomly associating cards from a second virtual deck of cards with a set of numbers of the card-selecting section. A predetermined number of numbers is selected by a second player from the card-selecting section associated with a second virtual deck of cards. The cards are displayed and the second player activates the confirm command to display the faces of the second poker hand. The second player submits a second bet to the first pot of the first game. The first player wins a portion of the first pot of the first game when the first poker hand is better than the second poker hand. The second player wins a portion of the pot when the second poker hand is better than the first poker hand. The game organizer may also produce a poker hand to split up the first pot so that all bets of players with poker hands of equal or lower value are forward to a second pot of a second subsequent game and all bets of players with poker hands of a higher value are used in the first pot. The first pot may also include bets from losing players of a previous game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a display of the present invention showing a poker hand faced down;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the display of the present invention showing the poker hand faced up; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the display of the present invention showing the poker hand plus an extra card.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the game display 10 has a card selecting section 12 that shows numbers between 1-52. For illustrative purposes, the game of poker is described. However, the present invention may be used for a wide variety of games and is not limited to poker. Each number in the section 12 represents a game card, such as a game card from a conventional deck of cards with 52 cards based four sets of 13 cards including the numbers 2-10, knight, queen, king and ace of diamonds, clubs, spades and hearts. The 52 game cards may be stored in a database so that the numbers 1-52 in the section 12 represent or are associated with different cards for each new game as a result of the card distribution of a random generator. In this way, the game cards associated with each number is randomly generated from the database and are not known to the player until the player to activate a confirm command to display the cards with the face up on a card display section 40. As described below, the player can randomly select the numbers from the card selecting section 12 that are associated with the player's own virtual deck of cards. However, it is not possible for the player to select the same number twice from the card selecting section 12.

The display 10 has a menu section 14 including commands related to help 16, information 18, random card 20, random all 22, done 24, new deal 26 and confirm 28. The help command 16 may relate to help that the player may need to play the game. The information command 18 may relate to the rules that apply to the game played such as international poker rules. The random card command 20 may be used to randomly select a number in the section 12 that is later selected for the card display section 40. The random all command 22 may be used to randomly select all the remaining numbers, such as seven numbers if no numbers have been selected previously, with one command. In this way, the player may either select the numbers from the section 12 by manually selecting a number between 1-52 or have a random generator select a number from the section 12. The done command 24 may be used to confirm that the player is done and does not intend to buy additional cards. The poker hand 56 is then saved in a database. The new deal command 26 may be used to initiate a display of a new game. The confirm command 28 may be used to confirm the selection of the seven first numbers from the card selecting section 12. By pressing the command 28 the cards are faced up to reveal the identify of each cards and the player now has the right to buy additional cards, as described in detail below. No additional cards can be bought until the player has confirmed the selection of the numbers for the first seven cards.

The display 10 also has a status section 30 that shows the number of marks 32, bets 34, bet unit 36 and total 38. The number of marks may indicate the number of cards that the player has selected in the card selecting section 12. The bets segment 34 indicates the number of cards that the player is using in the bet. The bets unit 36 indicates how many units, such as one, five or ten dollars, that is used for betting in each game. The total 38 indicates the total number of cards that is used in the game. The total 38 is particularly useful in slot machine type games when the bet unit 36 is more than one so that the player can easily see how much money has been bet in each game. For example, if the bets segment shows the digit 10 and an additional card has been bought at the price of $8, the total shows the digit 80.

The card display section 40 may be disposed below the status section 30 in which cards, such as cards 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, are displayed as a result of the selected numbers from the card selection section 12. As best shown in FIG. 1, the selected cards may first be shown faced down so that player cannot see which cards have been selected. While the cards are shown in the section 40, the player has the right to change the number selection and pick new numbers from the card selecting section 12. Preferably, all the cards in the section 40, the sections 12, 14 and 30 may simultaneously be displayed on a computer screen so that the player does not have to switch between several computer monitor screens.

By activating the confirm command 28, the player confirms the selection of the numbers from the card selecting section 12 and the cards are turned so that the faces of the cards are revealed and the player can see which cards are included in the hand 56. Once the cards are displayed with the face up, the player cannot change his/her mind and select different numbers from the card selecting section 12 to replace cards associated with earlier selected numbers. Optionally, the player may mark an additional number beyond the standard seven numbers that have already been selected. The player may also activate the random card command 20 to have the random generator select an additional number. The player may then be asked if the player would like to buy additional cards. If so, the player will be asked to confirm that a first price, such as $8 or any other amount, will be charged. The identity of the first additional card, such as the card 58, shown in FIG. 2, is shown.

The player may then either manually or by using the random card command 20 select a second additional number. The player may then be asked to confirm the charge of a second price that is greater than the first price paid for the first additional number. Upon approval a second additional card 60 is display in the card display 40. This procedure may continue until three additional cards 62, 64, 66 are bought and displayed. Of course, the number of additional cards that may be acquired by the player may be more or fewer than five, as desired. By adding more cards to the display the chances of improving the original poker hand 56 are improved. As shown in FIG. 3, the player may add five cards for a total of twelve cards so an extended poker hand 68 may be used in the game.

Once the player has activated the done command 24 the poker hand, whether additional cards have been bought or not, are saved until the expiration of the game when it is decided whether the poker hand includes a winning combination compared to combinations of other players according to the rules in the information command 18. The completed poker hand may then be displayed on the display 10 as a list to confirm which cards are included in the completed and finished poker hand, such as the poker hand 56 or the extended poker hand 68. This list may be treated as a receipt to confirm the poker hand that will compete to try to win the pot of the game.

As described in detail below, other players may simultaneously participate in the same game and go through the same procedure. The other players each use his/her own virtual deck of cards while participating in the same game to compete for the same pot. All the players are connected to the web page of the game organizer.

Optionally, the game organizer may randomly select a poker hand prior to the conclusion of the game. For example, when the game organizer plays, all the 52 cards may first be ranked and placed in order on the display 12 so that the first number is two of spades and the last number is ace of hearts. Seven balls are then randomly selected to produce a poker hand. In this way, ball number 3 may represent three of spades and ball number 51 may represent king of hearts. The drawing of balls procedure may be done live on television or on the Internet. All the bets of losing players with poker hands of equal or lower value than the organizer's poker hand may be forward to the pot of the next game. All the bets of the winning players with poker hands that are better than the poker hand of the organizer may be split up so that there is a first, second and third price. Of course, the player with the best poker hand may take all or the remaining pot may be split up in other ways. The remaining pot may be combined with a pot from losing players of a previous game so that the actual pot is increased for the current game.

An important feature of the game 10 of the present invention is that virtually an unlimited amount of players can play the same game. Each player selects cards from the player's own virtual deck of cards stored in the database. This means that a first player may play with a first deck of cards from the database while a second player may play with a second deck of cards from the database and so on. The first player may play on a first computer while the second player may play on a second computer that are connected to the web page of the game organizer and both players can participate in the same game but use different virtual decks of cards. In this way, almost an unlimited number of players can participate in the same game. Preferably, all the virtual decks of cards are identical to give all the players the same chance to win.

The first player tries to select the best cards from the first deck of cards while the second player tries to select the best cards from the second deck of cards. The final poker hand of the first player may then be compared to the final poker hand of other players such as the second player to determine who has the best cards to win the pot. The game organizer may also present a poker hand to split up the pot, as described above.

The player may set up an account with the game organizer from which money may be taken and deposited during the game. The account may be associated with a personal profile including password and user name. It may also be possible for the player to deposit cash directly into the machine similar to a slot machine or register each game and the bets with a current account that the player has already set up. A receipt with a control number may be given to the player. Profits are deposited to the account after the control number has been provided. A receipt may also be provided by when cash machines are used and may be used to cash in profits.

In operation, the player first finds the web page for the game organizer to select the game from the web page. Before the game is started, the player may be asked to make an initial deposit before the player can mark the numbers in the card selecting section 12 to generate the cards to be displayed in the card display 40. The player may also set up an account that can be used to pay for future deposits and bets. Once the player is logged in to play but before the player selects the numbers from the card selecting section 12, the slump generator generates cards that are randomly associated with each number 1-52 of the card selecting section 12. The player then selects one of the numbers 1-52 and a card is displayed faced down. The player selects seven cards this way. After the player has confirmed the number selection of the seven numbers by activating the confirm command 28, the faces of the cards are shown in the display 40. Like conventional poker, the best five-card combination of the seven cards is determined and registered. If the player selects an additional number beyond the seven that have already been selected, a pop-up window asks the player if the player wants to buy an additional card, as described above. Upon approval of the payment of the first price, the payment is withdrawn from the player's account and the first additional card is displayed in the game display 40. This process is repeated until the player either indicates that the player does not want to buy additional cards or until five additional cards are shown in the display and the player has paid the progressively increasing prices for the additional cards. The fifth additional card 66 is more expensive than the fourth additional card 64 that is more expensive than the third additional cards 62 that in turn is more expensive than the second 60 and first additional card 58. The player may either manually select the desired number of the available numbers in the game selecting section 12 or have the random generator select the number so that a new card is displayed in the game display 40.

If the player manually selects the number from the card selecting section 12, the player must first activate the confirm command 28 before the additional card is displayed in the display 40. Of course, the player must have sufficient funds in the account before additional cards can be bought and displayed in the display 40. If the player has insufficient funds, the player may have the opportunity to add more funds into the account before the additional card is displayed. Even though the player may have up to 12 cards in the display, the goal is still to produce the best five-card combination according to international poker rules, as stipulated in the information command 18.

The game organizer may set a time limit before which all games must be completed. This means a player may provide several poker hands to compete for the pot of money. Each poker hand generated requires the payment of the initial fees and fees for obtaining additional cards as described above.

When the time limit for a game is up, the organizer may present statistical information according to the poker rules include the number of possible winners and the number of existing card combinations etc. The presenter may be a selected person with a high credibility such as a notary public. The present may then select seven numbers from the game selecting section 12 to eventually produce a poker hand including seven cards. For example, the game organizer may get three queens. All bets provided by players with poker hands with a lower value that the three queens may be used in the pot for the next game to increase the pot in the subsequent pot. The players with poker hands that have a value that is higher than the three queens compete for the remaining pot. The player with the poker hand that has the highest value may win the remaining pot of money. If more players have the highest poker hand, the remaining pot may be split between the winning players. A portion of the money bet by the players goes to the card organizer for administration and profit.

Immediately after expiration of the time limit of the first game the subsequent second game may start and the players may start playing again to try to win the remaining pot of money from the first game and any money from players with poker hands that are beaten by the organizer's poker hand in the second game.

A variation of the card game of the present invention is that the players first select, for example, seven numbers from the card selecting section 12. This variation of the card game may or may not require upfront payment. However, the identity of the cards associated with the selected numbers remains unknown to the player. This means the player may even change and select other numbers until the game expires. When the player is satisfied with the selection of numbers, the player confirms and pays a fee. The identity of the cards hidden behind the numbers is still confidential since the cards are shown with the face down on the computer screen. At the expiration of the game, the game organizer draws seven cards and the card identities of the player's poker hand are gradually revealed when the player clicks on the numbers drawn. The player with the most cards that match the winning seven cards may win the pot of the particular game. It is also possible to split up the pot into several prizes such as first, second and third prize. As described earlier, the player may also have the option of buying additional cards at escalating prizes to increasing the chances of matching the winning poker hand drawn by the game organizer. The game organizer may continue at draw up to twelve cards so accommodate the players who have elected to buy additional cards.

While the present invention has been described in accordance with preferred compositions and embodiments, it is to be understood that certain substitutions and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims. 

1. A method of playing a card game, comprising: randomly associating cards from a first virtual deck of cards with a set of numbers of a card selecting section (12) so that each number is being associated with a different card; selecting a predetermined number of numbers from the card selecting section (12); displaying cards, associated with the numbers selected, in a card display (40); a first player activating a confirm command (28) to display faces of a first poker hand (56); the first player submitting a first bet to a first pot of a first game; randomly associating cards from a second virtual deck of cards with a set of numbers of the card selecting section (12) so that each number is being associated with a different card; selecting a predetermined number of numbers from the card selecting section (12); displaying cards, associated with the numbers selected, in the card display (40); a second player activating a confirm command (28) to display faces of a second poker hand; the second player submitting a second bet to the first pot of the first game; and the first player winning a portion of the first pot of the first game when the first poker hand is being better than the second poker hand and the second player winning a portion of the pot when the second poker hand is being better than the first poker hand.
 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises a game organizer developing a poker hand to split up the first pot so that bets from players with poker hands of an equal or lower value than the poker hand of the game organizer are forwarded to a second pot of a second subsequent game.
 3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the method further comprises bets from winning players with poker hands of a higher value than the poker hand of the organizer are divided among a portion of the winning players.
 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the first player adding a first additional card (58) by paying a first fee.
 5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the method further comprises the first player adding a second additional card (60) by paying a second fee being higher than the first fee.
 6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the first player selecting numbers from the card selection section (12) by activating a random card command (20).
 7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the first player selecting numbers from the card selection section (12) by activating a random all command (22) to select all remaining numbers for the poker hand (56, 68).
 8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the first player replacing a selected number from the card selecting section (12) with a new number prior to activating the confirm command (28).
 9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the first player paying an initiation fee to a game organizer prior to selecting numbers from the card selecting section (12).
 10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises making the first virtual deck of cards identical with the second virtual deck of cards and arranging an order of the cards in the first virtual deck of cards different from an order of the cards in the second virtual deck of cards. 